Ministry driver, civilian arrested over armed robbery roadblocks

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The joint security team comprising Crime Intelligence, Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence and Internal Security Organisation has arrested a government driver attached to Ministry of Internal Affairs-MIA and a civilian from Nabweru division, Nansana municipality over the staging of ‘military’ robbery roadblocks.

Security arrested the MIA driver basing on the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras and secretly recorded video by one of the victims of the recent Maya armed robbery roadblock. This incident happened barely three weeks ago by men donned in military uniforms.

It is alleged that the driver now being detained at Special Investigations Division-SID in Kireka would drive off the robbers dressed in military attires after robbing road users at night.

“This guy would park the vehicle at a distance of about a kilometer and would be alerted by his accomplices after robbing people at gunpoint. We have him because one of the victims recorded the vehicle number plate and we traced its movement using CCTVs,” a security source said.

The Nabweru suspect who is said to have been working with MIA driver is a teenager of 19 years. Sources said CMI, CI and ISO raided the boy’s rented room in Nabweru which was about one and a half kilometers from Nabweru division headquarters.

“We picked various types of military uniforms from this boy’s house. He had uniforms for Local Defence Units (LDUs), military police and general duty soldiers, and we suspect the two could have been working with other security personnel,” the source said.

Efforts to speak to Maj Charles Kabona, spokesperson UPDF First Division where uniforms used in these military robbery roadblocks could have come from were futile as his known contact was off at the time of filing this story.

Nevertheless, Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga confirmed that MIA driver and Nabweru civilian resident have been arrested in the ongoing joint investigations and hunt for gangs behind staged robbery roadblocks.

Enanga extoled MIA leadership that helped in tracking and arresting of the driver who was allegedly planning to flee. Enanga also confirmed that the Nabweru suspect is a boy though he did not give his age. Enanga said the hunt for whoever provided uniforms or participated in these robberies has been intensified.

Several victims of military robberies at Matugga and Migadde have since come out to warn people against driving in night hours.

Others survivors have told drivers to always make calls to people in places they are heading to so that they can be alerted.

Enanga has urged the public to give security agencies the benefit of doubt as they will be on top of the staged robberies. According to Enanga, the joint security team is making sure that every person arrested in regard to this crime is nothing else but a real culprit.

At least 33 incidents of armed robbery roadblocks have so far been reported in areas of Maya, Matugga, Migadde, Matugga-Kasangati stretch, Bombo-Kalule, Buloba and Myanzi.

Most of the incidents have been reported on Mityana-Mubende road. The culprits are very smart to the extent that they don’t shoot people and they make sure that every casing of a bullet fired to scare their victims is collected and taken.

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